Farewell, my fans

Well, I'm afraid that all good things must come to an end, and this blog is no exception. The good news is that if you really enjoy my writing, my recipes, or you just want to read it and mentally make fun of me, I will continue posting elsewhere. Check out my weekly blog, College Kitchen, with Backdrop magazine. From the home page, click on "Content" and that will take you to our web exclusives page. We have new content up every day (including a blog that is titled "Vegetarian for Lent"...very interesting), and my blogs (called "College Kitchen") post on Wednesdays. I'm always looking for feedback--suggestions, questions, comments, criticism, you name it.

Over spring break, I'm going to experiment with making my own pasta dough, and hope to have that posted pretty soon. There's a lot that's going to be happening next quarter, so it's definitely worth checking out.

Also, I'm currently training to be Backdrop's Managing Editor, starting next year (yay!) so any non-food related feedback will be much appreciated as well.

Until next time, readers, keep experimenting in the kitchen and don't forget...have fun with it!

Profile of an Athenian cook, part 2

A selection of questions from my interview with Jeremy Reed, Stephen's restaurant's head chef.

How long have you worked at Stephen’s?
I’ve worked for Stephen for at least ten years. He used to own a place called Sylvia’s, down where the Skull is now, so I worked for him back before I was even 21, and I’m 32 now, so it’s been a long time.

So what exactly do you do? What’s your job?
I am head chef. I do all the inventory, all the ordering, I create or basically am in charge of creating a menu, whether it’s something of mine or whatever we deiced to do.

And how long have you been doing all of that?
It’s been, I think, four years now since I took over.

So do you like to cook at home, or do you find that a chore?
I don’t cook at home. I eat horrible food, but I think that’s a typical chef thing for you. I think that a lot of the time it’s just the last thing you wanna do, is go home and work with more than one or two ingredients, you know? So I do a lot of microwaving. I mean, I cook at other people’s houses. If I show up at their party or whatever, I’ll throw down. But if I’m just by myself at home, I’m not gonna mess with that.

So was cooking a hobby for you first, or did you—
Well actually, [I started] washing dishes at the restaurant when I was—before I came to Athens—to put myself through school. And I ended up running out of money and not being able to finish school, and I was in a position that I was into audio, and I had to work. It was either school or work and I had to do both, but I couldn’t do both, so I had to do work first. So it was just one of those things like, you know, you’ve been around here long enough you go do salads, now you go do this, now you’re prepping, and then some guy can’t handle the stuff on the line, and then she’s like “Go do it” and they see potential, and it’s just kinda like that.

So you just jumped into it, no formal training or anything.
Nah, I just ended up having a knack for it, but I didn’t know ahead of time. It wasn’t interesting to me. But through everything I learned, it became interesting for me. But before each step happened, I wasn’t like, “Oh! I want to try that!” It was out of necessity. When your boss says, “Get out on the line,” you’re just like, okay, you gotta do it.

Do you think you have to have a knack for cooking to be good at it?
Absolutely. I mean I think that there’s a lot of people—I’ve worked for a lot of people—who have graduated culinary school and, in my personal opinion, aren’t that great. I think you do have to have a knack for it.

So do you have a personal style that you follow in your cooking?
No. Well, yes and no. I think my style is freestyle. So I guess I have a style but it’s not anything set in stone. Like a lot of times I’ll make something one time and if I don’t make it again for a couple months, unless I’ve made it a whole lot, I know it’ll be 90% the same, it’ll definitely be good, but it’ll have a little twist to it.

Do you just make up a lot of stuff on the spot?
Yeah, if I look at a cookbook, I’m looking more for ideas. What I’ll do is I’ll look at something, and then I’ll shut the book and figure out how I’m going to do it myself.

What’s your favorite dish to make? Do you have a specialty?
Umm, kind of…what I think I make the best that I like to eat is enchiladas. Mexican is my favorite.

So when it comes down to actually creating new dishes, what’s your thought process behind that?
Well sometimes, I plan it out ahead, sort of, in my mind. Sometimes, like if I’m making a big soup that I want to last for three or four days so I won’t have to make it again until the weekend, and I know that I have this, this, and this…sometimes I’ll be halfway done before I realize, oh, this is what I have to do! Bam! I add this and I’m gonna call it this now.

And that’s where it goes back to having that knack, isn’t it?
Yeah. It’s like, it’s gonna be creamy, but it’s got tomatoes in it, what am I gonna call it? Then it’s like, oh, I’ll throw some spinach in it and call it a Florentine. But then sometimes it’s like, if I’m gonna make a gumbo, that’s gonna be the same every time. I’ve got a gumbo recipe, and I start this way and do that.

Oh, the places you will go

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that cooking even simple meals every day can be tiring. And as the end of this quarter approaches, I find that I am more and more busy...with less and less energy. The result? I end up eating out more than I really should. Luckily for me, Athens is full of places for the broke college kid to chow down. And the best part is, I'm not even talking about chains like Chipotle, Wendy's or Subway. Athens is proud home to some of the finest small business around, and man, do they know how to cook.



View Larger Map

Above is a map I made through Google Maps that shows where the tastiest and cheapest food in Athens can be found. Enjoy, and maybe I'll see you there :)

These are a few of my favorite things

I recently got my tax refund back, and Uncle Sam graced me with an awesome check. So naturally, I went straight to good old Walmart and picked up some improvements on my previous kitchen supplies.

The first thing I tossed into my cart was this knife set. The knives cut like a dream, and for only thirty bucks, there really is no better deal. I especially love the 7" Santoku knife...I use it more than all the others (which makes me wonder if I shouldn't have invested that thirty bucks in one really good Santoku knife, but...oh well).

I also got a great little crock pot...this isn't the exact model I got; mine was a little cheaper and only 4 quarts. But this is still a great buy! I can't wait to make chili...and meatballs...and stews...

I'm also really getting into the whole eco-friendly thing where groceries are concerned. When I grocery shop, I get tons of food. I'm always trying out new recipes and experimenting, so I have to buy more than I wind up eating (which my roommate, my roommate's girlfriend, my boyfriend, and his roommates all love), and as a result I waste a ton of plastic bags. So when I saw these on Amazon, I flipped. They're so cute! And good for the environment, which of course is always a plus.

I also got a nice muffin pan, a mini muffin pan, and a couple bread loaf pans...so there's something to look forward to, recipe-wise. I especially want to try this great recipe that Giada made on Everyday Italian (Food Network channel). It's a caramel-almond-chocolate dessert...it looked so decadent!

Until next time everyone, happy eating!

Profile of an Athenian cook

Local Chef Brings Unique Flavor to Athens

Don't judge a menu by its cover
Stephen’s restaurant has a classy atmosphere without being stuffy, with a menu that is well-suited for date night. Diners likely picture the head chef as an Italian whiz in a white chef's jacket. They couldn't be farther from the truth.

Jeremy Reed, head chef at Stephen's, looks like he’d be more at home in a tattoo parlor than a kitchen. But despite his tattoos and piercings, Reed has a very professional demeanor. For the past four years, he has created the menu for the entire restaurant, as well doing the inventory and orders.

Surprisingly, Reed has received no formal cooking training whatsoever; he started washing dishes and apparently, never looked back. He called it “just one of those things;” one day his boss was short-staffed and he was asked to make salads. From there he went to prepping, and then to the main line.

Talent where it's least expected
“I just ended up having a knack for it, but I didn’t know ahead of time,” he said. Reed went on to say that having a knack for cooking is definitely a must if one wants to be good at it. He even went so far as to say that he’s known a lot of people “who have graduated culinary school and…aren’t that great.” Having a knack for cooking means that Reed rarely follows recipes in cookbooks. Rather, he says he uses cookbooks to look for ideas.

“I’ll look at something, and then I’ll shut the book and figure out how I’m going to do it myself,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll be halfway done [with a meal] before I realize … this is what I have to do.”

Words to new cooks
Often, a dish that starts out going in one direction ends up in a whole other realm. But some dishes, such as a gumbo or an Alfredo, will always be the same. The most important thing, Reed stresses, is freshness. He insists that “if your food is fresh and clean, I think that you’ve already overcome your main obstacle.

Other kitchen tips from Reed include having confidence and not getting in over your head where recipe difficulty is concerned. A cook who attempts a recipe that is too complicated for his experience can end up with a burnt dish, or worse, a burn injury.

Hot Sesame Pasta

This week has been absolutely insane. I've been juggling insanity at work, a heavy course load (with corresponding enormous piles of homework), the launch of my official food blog with Backdrop magazine...oh and trying to maintain something resembling a social life. I've been doing outrageous amounts of cooking and baking (despite the fact that the burn on my arm is still not healing properly), and even pulling all-nighters to get things done. Needless to say, I'm exhausted. And starving. So here's a dish I came up with that's quick, easy, and (most importantly) still delicious.

You will need:
2 cups penne pasta (fettuccine and bow-tie both work really well with this too)
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Make sure you season the water with some salt before you add the pasta. While that's cooking, drizzle the vegetable oil into a small pan and add the sesame seeds, pepper flakes, and onion powder. If you happen to have fresh red pepper and/or onion lying around, you can substitute these for the powder and flakes. Just make sure you take the time to sautee them fully. Stir it well, so the oil really soaks up the flavor of everything else. When the pasta is al dente, drain and rinse it, returning it to the pot. Add the butter and the oil mixture, and toss to coat. You're done!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to tackle some more of that growing pile of to-do lists...

Spicy Pork Chops...with Veggies!

So the other night, I made these amazing Rachael Ray spiced pork chops with sauteed vegetables. I used my boyfriend, roommate, and roommate's girlfriend as guinea pigs, and all four of us agreed: they are delicious. You'll need:

4 pork chops
1 tablespoon corriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 green pepper
1 medium onion
1 cup of grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried parsley

And rather than just telling you how to make it, here's a visual demonstration, courtesy of flickr.com.



I tried to get captions to pop up with the pictures, but I couldn't really figure it out. Oh well...here's the rest of the info!

1st picture: Trim the excess fat from the pork chops
2nd picture: Cover the chops with plastic wrap and pound them flat. This will also help make them a bit more tender.
3rd: A shot of the spices used.
4th: The spices in a bowl, before I mixed them. That bright red one is the paprika...mmm...
5th: Pat the spice mix into the tops of the chops, making sure they get evenly coated. Set them aside to let the flavor sink in, and don't forget to wash your hands before you touch anything else!
6th: While the chops are soaking up the spices, chop your pepper and onion. The recipe doesn't call for red pepper, but I had extra in my fridge so I threw it in.
7th: Drizzle the olive oil into the pan and put it on medium heat.
8th: Add the pepper and onion; season with salt and pepper.
9th: Add the grape tomatoes
10th: Add the parsley and let the veggies cook until the grape tomatoes start to burst.
11th: Transfer the veggies to a separate plate and cover with foil so they'll stay warm.
12th: Put the chops into the same pan used for the veggies; cook about 4 or 5 minutes on each side.
13th: Close-up of pork chops cooking.
14th: Flipped chops.
15th: Finished chops, plated on a bed of sauteed vegetables.
16th: Artistic close-up!
17th: And again.